Opta shares eye-opening stat on where West Ham United should be in Premier League table this season
West Ham are the biggest overperformers in the Premier League after experiencing a strong start to the season, according to Opta.
The sports analytics company produced an article on its website on Wednesday (18 October) that showed the Hammers should be sitting well below their current position of seventh in the league as their expected points total would put them in 14th place.
That is in stark contrast to Everton, who currently sit 16th in the top flight, as they should be as high as fifth based on their expected points across the opening eight games of the campaign.
Clinical
The stats show that West Ham have had a clinical edge this season after scoring 15 goals in their opening eight games of the season to take them up seventh in the Premier League table.
David Moyes would certainly rather hear that his side are overperforming than underperforming and he will be looking to continue the progress that has been made at the start of this campaign over the coming weeks.
While stats are continuing to have more of an impact on the game, they can’t be taken as gospel and the Hammers shouldn’t be looking to do too much differently.
While the Opta analysis notes that the Irons have only recorded an average of 37.4 per cent possession this season, it’s important to highlight that they have faced Chelsea, Brighton, Manchester City, Liverpool and Newcastle already – all of which are sides that tend to occupy more of the ball.
There is a chance the game against Aston Villa on Sunday (22 October) could be played out in a similar fashion, but the main thing is that we go out there and take our chances to try and earn the three points.
In other West Ham news, the club’s “top spy” has handed in his notice at the London Stadium.